U.S. national parks were popular destinations in 2009

by Kraig Becker on

2009 was a banner year for America’s National Park System, which remained popular with travelers, both foreign and domestic, despite the sluggish economy. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar recently announced that the parks experienced 10 million more visitors last year than they did in 2008, which represented a 3.9 percent increase.

The Park Service says that more 285 million people payed a visit to one of the parks or monuments that are under their care in 2009, which made it the fifth busiest year in the history of the system. The record for most visits ever was set back in 1987 when 287.2 million people spent time in the national parks.

The news of the upswing in visitors is seen as a good thing on a number of different levels. It meant that Americans and foreign visitors were still viewing the national parks as quality destinations despite challenging economic conditions around the globe. It was also seen as a good sign for Americans becoming more active, with many travelers hiking the trails and enjoying other outdoor activities.

The list of the top ten most visited parks remains generally the same year in and year out. In 2009 that list, along with the number of visitors, was as follows:

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 9,491,437 visitors
• Grand Canyon National Park, 4,348,068
• Yosemite National Park, 3,737,472
• Yellowstone National Park, 3,295,187
• Olympic National Park, 3,276,459
• Rocky Mountain National Park, 2,822,325
• Zion National Park, 2,735,402
• Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 2,589,288
• Grand Teton National Park, 2,580,081
• Acadia National Park, 2,227,698

Hopefully this is a trend that will continue. The parks have been called “America’s best idea”, and visiting any one of the top destinations will only reinforce that. So? What is your favorite national park, and which ones are you planning on visiting this year?

Yellowstone opens for winter visitors

by Kraig Becker on

Winter may officially still be a few days off, but that hasn’t prevented Yellowstone National Park from opening for the season. According to the National Park Service, as of yesterday, all roads are now open for travelers who want to make the oversnow journey through the park’s scenic interior.

Visitors who want to explore Yellowstone, the nation’s first national park, in this manner will have to contract with a commercial guide service. Each day, up to 318 snowmobiles and 78 coaches will be allowed to roam the groomed trails from the South Entrance to West Thumb, and on to Old Faithful, with a few more trails opening up over time. Along the way, they’ll find miles of serene, snow covered backcountry that is as engaging in the winter as it is in the warmer months.

In addition to the trails opening, the Old Faithful Visitors Center opened yesterday as well, and by Friday the Old Faithful Snow Lodge, gift shop, and restaurants. The Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel will follow suit on Monday, December 21st, offering more places to stay for those looking to visit the area and play in the snow.

For those who would prefer to drive through Yellowstone, there are roads open for four wheeled vehicles as well. The highway from the North Entrance and from Gardiner, Montana, through the park’s Northeast Entrance, by way of Mammoth Hot Springs and Cooke city are kept well maintained throughout the year, although winter storms can make them treacherous at times. The drive is also highly recommended and scenic as well.

Photo of the Day (11.13.09)

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Is there a better National Park in the United States than Yellowstone? This shot from flickr user SenzEnina makes the case that, no, there isn’t. With wildlife like wolves, bears, mountain goats, and, of course, bison, as well as hundreds of geysers and hot springs, Yellowstone should definitely be on your Bucket List.

Want your photo considered for Gadling’s Photo of the Day? Upload your best shots here.

Yellowstone to limit snowmobile access

by Kraig Becker on

The use of snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park has been a point of contention for years, with local resorts and the state of Wyoming encouraging tourists to explore the natural wonderland on the motor vehicles, while environmentalists have argued that they were harmful for the environment and disturbed wildlife in the park. The National Park Service seems to have sided with the environmentalist on the subject, announcing late last week that they would limit snowmobile access to Yellowstone in 2010 and 2011.

In recent years, the Park Service has allowed 720 snowmobiles in the park each day, but under the new guidelines that number would be cut back to 318 for the next two seasons. While that seems like a drastic cut for winter visitors, the park averaged just 205 snowmobiles per day last winter. For the record, the highest number of the motorized sleds to be in the park on any single day is 557, which was set back in December of 2007.

The NPS also says they will allow 78 snowcoaches in the park each day as well. These vehicles are specially designed vans that feature tank treads that allow them to move easily over the snow. They can carry a group of passengers and are thought to be more environmentally friendly than snowmobiles.

Opponents of snowmobile use in the park were understandably happy with the news, but local tourism groups say they’ll fight the decision, possibly in court. They argue that the snowmobiles are safe and clean, at that more people should be allowed to enjoy the natural splendor of Yellowstone in the winter. They also see it as restricting economic growth in the area as well.

Summer 2009 a record setting one for Yellowstone

by Kraig Becker on

The National Park Service has announced that it was a record setting year in Yellowstone, with nearly 2.3 million visitors crowding into the national park in June, July, and August. This is an increase of 124,000 over the previous record which was set back in the summer of 1999. Even more interesting, visitation to Yellowstone is up 8.1% for the year-to-date over 2008, and easily surpassed the record for those months as well. Back in 2007, 2,511,790 people went to the park between January and August, while this year that number stands at 2,654,378.

A number of factors are probably contributing to these increased numbers. For example, in the summer of 2009 we have enjoyed cheaper gas prices over 2008, which means more people are willing to drive for their vacation. On top of that, the global economic conditions have caused some travelers to scale back their plans to travel internationally, with many choosing to stay closer to home and travel within the U.S instead.

Of course, here at Gadling, we’d like to believe it was all of those reminders about the fee free weekends that we posted throughout the summer when every national park was free for one weekend in June, July, and August. Those weekends surely helped Yellowstone reach this new record as well. It probably didn’t hurt that President Obama took his famil on vacation there too.